Just Like a Fairy Tale
by Shelby
Summary: RENTfic. Mark knows something you don't know...!! (A little sappy, told from Marky's POV.)


Just Like a Fairy Tale

Just Like a Fairy Tale

Author's Note: No, I don't know what states allow legal gay marriages, and which don't. I just picked Vermont because it's close to New York. Anyway, I'll change the state if I discover it doesn't allow them. Sorry if my (possible) inaccuracy has offended anyone. 

~~

_"September 3, 1997, 9:30 pm. Close shot Thomas R. Collins, sitting on the couch fiddling with the gold band on his finger. He always gets like this around September3rd. I can't say I blame him. This would've been his one-year anniversary with Angel. And no-it's not the anniversary of the day they met…"_

Pause. 

_"Zoom in on Mark, who knows something about Angel and Collins that he was sworn to keep secret until they decided to tell. Well…Angel's dead, and Collins doesn't like to talk about it now. So, I remain silent._"

I remember it…I don't like to, because when I do, it reminds me of how miserable Collins is. But I do remember that day when-

_"Pan left back to Collins, the brick wall, it took an Angel to break him…_"

~~

I was walking over to Angel's apartment to ask whether I could borrow some candlesticks. Ours were gone, and no one in our apartment building seemed to find it worth the while to help us out. I knew Angel would be happy to lend some to us. 

When I entered the main hallway in the building where Angel lived, I saw him and Collins standing outside of his door. They were both wrapped up in each other's arms talking. There was nothing unusual in that. The strange thing was, they were standing so close you'd think they were kissing, and their words were hushed and muted by occasional giggles. Naturally, I was hesitant to break into the little world they had spun around themselves.

"Uh…Angel?" Angel's head jerked to the side, surprised, and a wide grin broke out on his face. 

"Hi Mark! You're exactly the person I was just-" He didn't bother to finish the sentence, but instead flung his arms around me. I was dumbfounded by the embrace, and stood there, mouth gaping, until he pulled back and looked at me. "Sasha's lending me the car, oh Collins! This is wonderful!"

I looked over, and caught Collins' eye. He, too, had a flushed and excited look to his face. "Collins, what's going on?"

"You'll see." Collins murmured, hand sliding into his pocket for a moment, before he laughed, and took Angel's hand. "Come on, we'll be late."

In an instant, I was swept up into a bright red convertible and into the back seat. I was still clueless as to what was happening. Collins started up the car, and we made our way through the city. Soon, we had gone from dingy city to clean and fresh country. On and on we drove. 

Somehow, I had felt left out of whatever was going on. Angel and Collins sat in the front seats, holding hands, Collins frequently turning his eyes from the road to Angel's face. At one point we had stopped for a red light, and Angel and Collins started gazing at each other for so long I had to poke Collins' arm to get him to realize that we had gone through an entire cycle and there were angry people in back of us screaming and beeping their horns. 

The sad part was, he didn't even seem frustrated!! 

The car finally pulled up in the driveway of a small white house. It wasn't until then that I realized two things. One: We had been driving for over four hours. And two: We were no longer in New York.

A thought occurred to me as I reached into the small bag I had carried with me before to Angel's flat to help hold the candlesticks that I never got. I had brought my camera. 

Pulling it out, I switched on the "power" button and held it up.__

_Close on Mark Cohen, kidnapped by a drag queen and a philosopher and taken hostage to somewhere in Vermont._

Collins got out of the car, walked around, and offered his arm to the standing Angel with elaborated genteel. Rolling my eyes, I opened my door and got out, looking around. "Alright guys, what is going on here?"

Angel giggled, and looked at me. "We need you to be a witness."

For a moment, I was dumb. The only thing that registered in my head was _witness._ As in, court. "Are you guys in trouble?"

Collins chuckled, and shook his head. "No, we need you to be a witness to our marriage."

_"**MARRIAGE?!?!**_" I shouted, jumping out of my skin---metaphorically. "You two are getting _married_?!" 

"Yeah!" Angel was absolutely beaming, his lips curled into a wide smile. 

"But-you guys-are-" 

"It's illegal in New York, so we drove here. The problem was, we needed a witness."

"But then you came, and it was perfect." Angel finished, and then proceeded to walk up to the house. "I've known the person that lives here for a while. He used to be my reverend. Very open-minded, and promised he'd be the one to perform the ceremony."

"I don't believe you two are eloping." I said, shaking my head. This was unbelievable. "How long have you been planning this?"

"Only for a few days. We talked about it before, but…" Angel was cut off as the door opened, revealing a middle-aged man with thinning salt-and-pepper hair and a smiling face with eyes that crinkled with kind intentions. 

"Adam Dumott Schunard, you always did love your sister's Easter dresses!!" 

Angel blushed, and embraced the man. "Reverend Michaels! I haven't seen you in ages!"

Rev. Michaels laughed, and gave Angel the once-over, still smiling. "So, do they still call you Adam?"

"Actually, now it's Angel."

"That name certainly does suit you. My, you've gotten so tall!"

Stepping back, Angel ushered me forward. "Reverend Michaels, this is Mark, he's gonna be the witness."

"Pleasure." The reverend grasped my hand with a smile and took in the bewildered grin that had crept on my face. "I see you are quite surprised at this."

"They didn't tell me."

"Ada-Angel, I mean, always did have a way of surprising everyone. And this handsome young fellow must be-"

"Collins." Angel grinned, and linked arms with Tom. "This is Tom Collins reverend."

"Nice to meet you. You seem just like Angel told me on the phone."

Collins gave Angel a look, and nodded. "I certainly hope that's a good thing." 

"It is, it is. So, shall we begin?" Rev. Michaels clapped his hands and ushered us inside. "We can do this in the den, if you'd like."

"Okay." 

We walked through the reverend's house, and I looked around---filming everything with my camera. I didn't want to miss a thing. When we reached the den, I drew my breath at the amazing arrangement of everything. A fireplace stood in the back wall, and shelves were positioned everywhere on the walls. They were covered with books and small glass objects. Two couches sat facing each other on either side of the fireplace with a coffee table in between them. It was a lovely room, with pictures of the Virgin Mary and Jesus on the two far walls. I was only half-Jewish, and thus knew the stories that accompanied the beautiful paintings. 

"Well now children, please come over here." Angel and Collins stepped in front of Reverend Michaels, facing each other. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…"

He continued to give the nuptial speech, but I was more interested in filming Angel and Collins. Their fingers were laced together, and they gazed at each other with unconcealed emotion. It was breathtaking to see two people so enthralled with each other. When each of them murmured their "I do's" you could hear the meaning behind the two simple words.

It almost made me jealous. How dare _they_, two _guys_ be happier then I had ever succeeded being with love affairs in the past. Maureen would never look at me the way Angel was looking at Collins---heart shining through his glistening amber eyes. They were the epitome of love ending happily ever after. 

Well, they were at the time. 

As Collins slipped the ring around Angel's finger, I drew a breath. It was gorgeous, gold with studded diamonds encircling the band. Angel's ring to Collins was equally breathtaking, also gold with what looked like words inscribed into the band. For a fleeting second, I wondered where they had found the money for these rings. 

"I now pronounce you man and…" Reverend Michaels laughed, and continued, "I now pronounce you together." He stepped back as Collins gathered Angel in his arms and meshed his mouth against Angel's. I zoomed and panned to get the perfect shot of the kiss, which lasted for what seemed like an eternity before it was broken. Then another eternity was spent gazing at each other from the embrace, mingling breaths with sighs. Finally, Angel reluctantly disentangled himself from Collins---(face absolutely radiant)---and turned to me with the license and pen. 

"You'll have to sign this for it to be official." Angel said. I took the pen and scribbled my signature down. As I lifted the pen, he let out a squeal and once again flung his arms around me. Collins stood by Reverend Michaels, talking to him-but Tom's eyes kept traveling eagerly back to Angel. 

"There you go Angel."

"Oh thank you Mark! You're so wonderful!!" Another hug, before he noticed my camera. "I demand a copy of that."

"I'll make one for you. Don't worry!" I couldn't help the chuckle that had tinged my voice.

From there, well, I was swept up into a whirlwind of talking and laughing, and exchanged glances. The next thing I was really conscious of was getting back into the car and watching as Angel and Collins did exactly what they had on the way there. Only difference was, on the way back, I was aware of what was happening. 

When we reached home, I stood up and got out of the car. They did the same, clinging to one another like you see those happy newlyweds do on television. 

"Oh Mark!" Angel called after me. "I have one more favor to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Don't tell anyone yet. We want to tell them ourselves, later."

"Okay." I shrugged, and couldn't help but smile at the grin that lingered on Collins' face. "I'll see you two later then?"

"Definitely." 

With that, I had walked home feeling a bit more energetic than I had started off to be. It wasn't until I got home that I remembered why I had gone to Angel's loft in the first place: to get candlesticks. 

Naturally, Roger wasn't happy. He yelled at me about staying away too late, and that it didn't take an entire day just to go get candlesticks. But I wasn't listening; the past events were still spinning through my mind…

~~

_"Poor Collins, he was so happy that day. Angel and him could've had a regular fairy tale happily-ever-after ending. Too bad it didn't turn out that way…"_

"Collins?"

He looked up from his stroking of the ring he held in his hand. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine…" His voice trailed off, before he turned back up to me. "Hey Mark?" 

"Hm?"

"What ever happened to that video that you made of…"

I smiled, and ventured into the box of old tapes I had in my room. I emerged two seconds later with a black box labeled "Angel+Collins/ring." I hadn't dared put "marriage" on there in case someone decided to go through my tapes. *coughmaureencough* 

"Here it is."

Collins took it gingerly in his hands, and looked at it. "Could I…"

"Watch it? Sure." I nodded, and he inserted it into the VCR. From where I stood on the other side of the couch, I could hear muffled noises. 

A tear slipped down Collins' cheek, and I heard him faintly murmur: "Just like a fairy tale." 

And I guess it was. 

~~

Yes, I know, disgustingly sappy. So sue me.


End file.
